Bawku Central MP, Mahama Ayariga, has argued against the notion of complete autonomy for MPs within parliament, emphasizing the integral role of political parties in their representation. He contends that MPs are sponsored by their parties to enter parliament, underscoring the necessity of party involvement in parliamentary affairs.
On Wednesday, February 21, Speaker of Parliament Alban Bagbin asserted that caucus leaders cannot be appointed independently of their sponsoring parties. Mr. Bagbin emphasized that MPs represent their parties in parliament and thus must not appoint leaders without party consultation.
However, this assertion faced opposition from several Majority MPs, including the First Deputy Speaker, who advocated for MPs to have the liberty to choose their leaders as per the new Standing Orders.
Despite the dissent, Mr. Ayariga reaffirmed the Speaker’s position during an interview with Citi FM, urging MPs to recognize their accountability to their political parties amid parliamentary reforms.
“You can’t have a situation where the political party doesn’t have a hand at all in determining who the leadership is. Like the speaker indicated often when you come to parliament you don’t know each other and so forth. How do you even among yourselves decide who is going to be the leader?” said Mr. Ayariga.
“So let’s not have these new standing orders give this wrong impression that the parliamentarians have become so independent and autonomous from their political parties, that they can go and sit and decide to do whatever they want to do.”
This move signifies the ongoing debate and discussions surrounding the dynamics of parliamentary governance and the role of MPs within political parties. It represents the evolving nature of Ghana’s governance and the continued need for open dialogue and scrutiny of parliamentary processes.
